Lensbaby Composer Pro Test

Winter is taking its time and therefore I was able to go for a walk and inhale some deep breaths of fresh autumn air. I rather rarely walk around town, but today I realized once more, that walking up a tiny hill on a sunny day can make such a difference! It’s wonderful to enjoy the sounds of nature and the aerial view. Together with my camera I was able to clear my mind and to simply focus on the present. smile

For some years now I do own a Lensbaby Composer Pro incl. Double Glass Optic, but never got too fond of it. Maybe because I first tried it with models. It definitely takes some time to get the hang of it. Back then, after some pictures I didn’t want to waste the model’s and my time and switched back to the lenses I was familiar with. However, today, I had plenty of time to test the lensbaby and had a lot of fun experimenting in the golden nature!

I love the way you have to change the aperture disks. It kind of intensifies your understanding on how photography works. I started with f/5.6, then changed to f/2.8 for some close-ups, and afterwards changed to f/4. Also the fact, that you have to focus manually makes you concentrate on the basics again.

LENSBABY PROs

You can create quite artistic results – perfect for anyone, who loves to experiment!

It’s easy to create a pretty lens flare – in case you want it!

It also creates a wonderful bokeh!

LENSBABY CONs

It’s very rigid and makes it hard for minor adjustments.

It’s very difficult to get the focus right.

The minimum focus distance is quite high.

When tilted too far, you can see parts of the Lensbaby in the corner of your photos.

As many have discussed already, I agree on the fact, that you can recreate this effect in Adobe Photoshop easily. The lensbaby is really more or less a gimmick. But hey, aren’t these the ones that make a photographer’s life more fun?! smile